From his breakout role in Barbershop and Barbershop 2, Michael Ealy is quickly rising through the ranks as one of Hollywood's leading young actors. He is currently starring in the Showtime miniseries Sleeper Cell where he portrays Darwyn, a Muslim FBI agent sent undercover to infiltrate a terrorist cell in Los Angeles. Sleeper Cell premiered last December and received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Miniseries and an AFI Honor for Best Program of the Year.
This past year, Ealy starred opposite Halle Berry in ABC and Harpo Films telepic Their Eyes Were Watching God. The special received rave reviews and was viewed by over 24 million people. Ealy earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special for his portrayal of Teacake. Ealy also starred in two Sundance films: the film noir Never Die Alone opposite DMX and David Arquette and November Courteney Cox Arquette, Anne Archer and James LeGros for director Gregory Harrison.
A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Michael graduated college with a degree in English. Shortly after, Michael headed to New York where he performed in several stage productions, including the Off-Broadway hits Joe Fearless and Whoa Jack, for which he earned an Adelco Award nomination for his performance. It would not be long before Michael nabbed guest-starring roles in NBC's Law & Order and Showtime's hit series Soul Food.
On the heels of his television appearances, he was then cast in the critically-acclaimed film Kissing Jessica Stein for Fox Searchlight, where he played Greg, the delivery boy with a strong craving for sex. Michael then segued into the role of G. Mo, the best friend of Jake Hayes (Chris Rock), in Bad Company for director Joel Schumacher.
While visiting his friends in Los Angeles, Michael heard about auditions for Barbershop. After placing a call to his manager and a few rounds of auditions, he landed the role of Ricky Nash, a two-strike offender working at the local barbershop under the supervision of his friend Calvin (Cube). The film earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture as well as a People's Choice Award nomination for Favorite Comedy Motion Picture.
After landing his role in Barbershop, he promptly moved to Los Angeles to further pursue acting, but suddenly found himself whisked away to Miami, to film 2 Fast 2 Furious and finally settled in Los Angeles and completed a stint on the Emmy-winning series ER for NBC last season.
Since Ealy's breakout performance in Barbershop, he was quickly named one of People's “On the Verge” actors in the magazine's “Sexiest Man Alive” 2002 issue. Following his performance in Barbershop 2, he has been named one of E! Entertainment Television's “Sizzlin' 16” of 2004 and appeared on the cover of Essence magazine's "Hollywood Screen Gems" for their April 2004 issue.
Michael continues to reside in Los Angeles and build the momentum off of his rising career.
